For Some, Respite Care Is a Test Drive

For families, Carillon’s respite care program offers an invaluable “Plan B” whenever temporary care is needed. For seniors, respite care allows them to ‘test drive’ an assisted living community before committing to a permanent move. For Carillon, respite care is an opportunity to show seniors and their families all that assisted living can, and should, be.

And often times, respite care at Carillon accomplishes all three things at once, according to Richard Harris, Senior Regional Director of Marketing for Carillon.

“We don’t take lightly the move to assisted living, and we aren’t about talking people into making that move,” says Harris, who oversees sales for Carillon’s 17 North Carolina communities. “When a senior is physically ready for assisted living, but maybe not emotionally ready, respite care is a nice way to test the waters.”

Harris says Carillon’s 30-day respite program is just long enough for the senior and their family to get a real feel for life in a senior community, but not so long that they feel pressured into staying. The program works the same for seniors in need of assisted living as it does for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, he said. Carillon’s Garden Place Alzheimer’s care program is a separate, secure area within the larger community.

“For families who have been caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, there is often a lot of anxiety about letting someone else care for their family member, and that’s perfectly understandable,” he says. “Carillon’s Alzheimer’s care respite program is a different kind of test drive. It’s more about the family’s peace of mind.”

About three-quarters of those who seek out respite care at Carillon will move in permanently, says Harris. Many of those who chose not to move in full-time come back for repeated respite stays.

“That, to me, is the ultimate compliment they can give us. To see Carillon as their home-away-from-home; it’s the best of both worlds for them, and for us it’s like welcoming back a dear friend.”